Scripto strike records

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Profile Description

Collection Summary

Repository:

Georgia State University, University Library,
Special Collections Department

Title:

Scripto strike records

Dates:

1963-1968; 1996-1999

Quantity:

.5 linear ft.
in 1 box

Abstract:

The collection documents the strike (1964-1965) at Atlanta's
Scripto Corporation manufacturing plant. The records of the Scripto strike,
1963-1968; 1996; 1999 consist of contemporary legal and union documents,
newspaper articles, and photographs. Transcripts of interviews conducted in
1996 and a published article round out the collection.

Identification:

L2003-01

Language

English.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in chronological order.

Scope and Content of the Records

The records, 1963-1968; 1996; 1999 consist of legal and union
documents from the 1960s relating to the strike, as well as newspaper articles
and photographs. Transcripts of interviews with strike participants and
supporters make up the 1996 part of the collection. An article written for
Atlanta History is from 1999. Also included is a
videotape on the strike and a microcassette copy of a Hosea Williams interview
from 1996.

Historical Note

In the early 1960s, Scripto was one of the United States' leading pen
and pencil manufacturers, and one of Atlanta's largest employers. In 1963, the
International Chemical Workers Union began the process of organizing Scripto's
workers, and on June 9, 1964 the National Labor Relations Board granted the
Chemical Workers Union a Certification of Representation. On the day before
Thanksgiving, 1964, Scripto employees walked off the job, demanding more
equitable pay for skilled and non-skilled workers. (As it stood, non-skilled
workers were receiving $400 a year below the federal poverty level).

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. sympathized and supported the
strikers, many of whom were black, and members of King's church. The Reverend
C.T. Vivian believed an alliance between civil rights groups and the union
would help the strikers reach their demands. With the help of King and Vivian,
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Chemical Workers Union
combined efforts to increase pressure on Scripto. They planned a national
boycott, in which over half a million leaflets were distributed to unions
asking them to boycott all Scripto products. As the strike progressed, it
increasingly took the form of a civil rights initiative. The strike hightened
the negative feelings some Atlanta leaders had toward Martin Luther King, Jr..
By Christmas 1964, Scripto and the Union reached their first agreement: The
union would drop the boycott, if Scripto gave the striking workers their annual
Christmas bonuses. On January 9, 1965, the Scripto strike came to an end. The
workers received a 4 cent across-the-board increase each year for the following
three years, and Scripto was forced to re-hire 155 strikers and retain the
replacement workers they had hired to maintain production during the strike.
After the strike, racial tensions eased at the Scripto plant.

Due to international competition, the Atlanta Scripto plant closed in
1994.

Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the
Georgia State University Library online catalog (GIL). Researchers desiring
materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog
using these headings.

King, Martin Luther, Jr.,
1929-1968.

Vivian, C. T.

Williams, Hosea,
1926-

International Chemical
Workers Union.

Scripto.

Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.

Labor
unions--Georgia.

Strikes and
lockouts--Georgia--Atlanta.

Strikes and
lockouts--Office equipment and supplies industry.

Oral
histories.

Restrictions

Restrictions on access

Unrestricted access.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any
publication, including on the Worldwide Web, any material from this collection,
the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical
property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from
this collection should consult the reference archivist to determine copyright
holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must
contain the complete citation to the original. All requests subject to
limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Copyright to this finding aid is owned by Georgia State University Library. Georgia State University Library has made this finding aid available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For more information, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright to this finding aid is owned by Georgia State University Library. Georgia State University Library has made this finding aid available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For more information, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/